be you.

At our 25th National Conference on LGBT Equality: Creating Change today in Atlanta, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force voiced its support for the San Francisco International Airport to be renamed in honor of legendary gay leader Harvey Milk. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is considering a measure that would ask voters to rename the city’s current airport to the Harvey Milk San Francisco International Airport.

In a groundbreaking 1977 election, Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming one of the first openly gay elected officials anywhere. The following year, he was tragically assassinated. Milk’s belief that all people should be treated with respect paved the way of the populist movement he pioneered for LGBT rights, creating a legacy that inspires the LGBT community to this day.

Harvey Milk stood for our common humanity. He believed everyone should be treated with dignity, that we all have a place in the world, that no one should be left behind. So it seems appropriate that the San Francisco International Airport — a place that welcomes millions of visitors from around the globe every year — should be named to commemorate his legacy of equality. What better way to say: ’We welcome you, whoever you are, no matter where you are from.’ Harvey Milk was a true American hero and an inspiration to people fighting injustice everywhere. It would be a badge of honor for San Francisco to recognize Harvey Milk’s tremendous life and legacy by naming its airport for him.